Welcome Back to Apple Grove (21 page)

“Hey, Kate. Grace.” Deputy Jones walked toward them. “Mitch is ready to talk to you ladies.”

“Brian,” Grace said, tugging on her friend’s arm. “Kate has a question for you.”

He looked down at Kate and waited.

But Kate was too busy glaring at her friend to notice. “No, I don’t.”

“Yes,” Grace said with a smile for the deputy. “You do.”

Kate threw her hands up in the air and whirled around to face the lawman. “Grace wants to know if you can give me a ride home.”

His facial expression didn’t change, but his lips twitched. “Does she?”

Grace really liked Brian and decided to give her friend a nudge in the right direction. “Only because Kate’s too timid to ask you herself.”

Kate’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. But if looks could kill…

“Come on, Kate,” Grace said. “Mitch is waiting.”

“Patrick, I’m glad you’re here.” Joe Mulcahy opened the door and motioned for Pat to sit down at the kitchen table.

“How is she?” Patrick had struggled with the full gamut of emotions all day. “Did they catch the guy?”

“Yes. I was so busy trying to keep her occupied so she wouldn’t have time to dwell on the attack, I forgot to call you.”

Patrick wanted to tell Joe it was all right, but in his gut he knew it wasn’t. Every moment not spent fighting the warehouse fire, he’d been waging a silent war within himself—and the overwhelming need to hop in his truck and drive to Apple Grove to see Grace.

“It’s the same man who assaulted Kate McCormack.”

His gut roiled as the acidity level rose. Battling the urge to rip something apart with his bare hands, he rubbed his palms on his thighs.

“They transferred him to Licking County Jail after Grace and Kate ID’d him.”

“Were you there when they did?”

“No. Grace and Kate went together. They’ve been thick as thieves since they could walk.”

He wished he’d been there for Grace. “Do you think she needs to get away from here for a couple of days?”

“Not sure. Why?”

“I’m working a twenty-four starting tomorrow morning, so if she stayed in Newark, I’d be gone most of the time she was there.”

“I don’t want her to be alone,” Joe said. “She might start—”

Grace walked into the kitchen. “What are you two talking about?” She looked at her father first and then Patrick. “If you are worried about me, don’t be. I gave as good as I got. I shouldn’t have turned my back on the guy.”

“I thought he—”

She cut him off. “Can we talk about this later? It’s been a long day and I’m really hungry.”

Patrick bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from disagreeing with her. If he couldn’t get his hands on the guy and beat him bloody for attacking both Grace and Kate, the least Grace could do was fill him in on the details. Joe was a bit sketchy on them. Her father stared from one to the other. “Best feed her before she gets cranky.”

Grace frowned at her father first and Patrick second before saying, “Don’t wait up, Pop.”

When they were outside, Patrick asked, “Anywhere to get takeout in town?”

“I’m an idiot. I haven’t even asked how your day was or how many calls you had after I talked to you. You’re probably tired and want to turn in early.”

“Once I eat, I’ll get my second wind,” he promised.

“No takeout, but the diner’s fast. Let’s go there.” She tugged on his arm to get him moving toward his truck. “I’ll follow you in my car.”

“Not part of the plan.” He hauled her into his arms. He’d satisfy at least one of the needs churning inside of him—the rest would have to wait. “Kissing me hello is.” Her lips softening beneath his as she kissed him back filled the emptiness that had been plaguing him all day. This was right. This was where he belonged.

He loosened his hold on her and ended the kiss. “I missed you today.”

She trailed the tips of her fingers along the line of his jaw. “When did you have time?”

“In between the last two calls.” He didn’t particularly want to talk about his day. He wanted to find out about the attacker. “I have to be honest here,” he began. “I’ve waited all damn day to see you and to find out what the hell happened.”

“I understand, but I’ve gone over it at least a half a dozen times today. I’m hungry and you are too. Let’s eat.”

His frown was fierce enough to have her sighing. “If I tell you, do you promise to drop it so we can eat?”

His sigh was exaggerated—and loud. “All right.”

“OK,” she told him. “Here’s the 411: I was in the alley—not paying attention, thinking about you—and I ran into someone. He grabbed me; it pissed me off. I punched him in the nose—think I broke it—and he pushed me to the ground.”

“Son of a bitch!”

She held up her hand. “No,” she told him. “Do not go there—you’re more like Pop than I thought, but I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. Besides, he’s been arrested and charged for what he did to Katie and me.”

When he reached out a hand to stroke the side of her face, she leaned into his touch. “Grace, I wish I had been there to protect you.”

She sighed. “I know, but I’m pretty good at taking care of myself.”

“But he hurt you.”

“And his butt’s in jail for it. So,” she said, linking her arm through his, “now you know everything that happened. I’m really hungry.”

He sighed. “A deal’s a deal.” They got into his truck and drove to the diner.

***

“How are the burgers here?” Patrick asked Peggy after they’d settled into a booth.

“Amazing,” Peggy said, walking toward them. “How many do you want?”

Patrick laughed. “Am I that transparent?”

Peggy smiled. “After a putting in a full day at the firehouse, a big guy like you can probably put away at least two of our double-burger platters.”

He looked over at Grace. “What would you like?”

“I’ll have the chicken salad platter—easy on the mayo.”

“All right.” Peggy made a note on her pad. “Coffee?”

“Please.”

When she left to fill their order, he asked Grace if Peggy was upset about something.

“No, why?”

“She didn’t really stop to talk.”

“It’s been insanely busy here today. She and Kate put in a long day.”

“Where is Kate?”

“In the kitchen. She serves in the morning, since Peggy’s specialties are breakfast and cakes, and cooks in the afternoons and evenings.”

They both relaxed for the first time that day as they talked about the diner and the differences between working all day behind a desk, as opposed to standing on your feet serving food or running into a burning building.

“I’m on a twenty-four-hour shift at the firehouse starting tomorrow morning,” Patrick told her.

The reminder that his job was an important one, and busy, had her facing a fact she’d forgotten—work schedules had yet to be factored into their relationship. “I did forget. So,” she said, “I guess I won’t see you until Thursday?”

“I tried to switch shifts, but Mike’s not ready for a twenty-four.”

“I guess it will give me time to miss you.” Grace tried to force a smile, but she wasn’t entirely sure she’d succeeded.

When they’d finished eating and Patrick had paid their bill, he stood and held out his hand. “I’m not ready to leave yet. Want to take a walk?”

The night was warm and the breeze soft. Hand in hand, they walked down to the bank and crossed the street so she could show him the gazebo. “Nice,” he said. “I like the flowers.”

“Miss Trudi plants them every year.”

“Is it usually this quiet so early?”

“People get up pretty early around here,” she explained. “Well, at least the ones who have farms or jobs that have them opening up before eight o’clock.”

“Like the diner?” he suggested.

“And Mulcahys,” she added.

“Is that why you wanted to work in an office environment—so you wouldn’t be starting your day so early?”

She thought about it. “That was part of it, but I was tired of working in an environment that included plumbing and lumber supplies.”

“And now that you’ve been to where the grass is greener?”

Grace found herself telling him about her job and her epiphany today—that she really missed working for the family and the diversity of the job.

“Did you tell your dad?”

When she didn’t answer him right away, he tugged on her hair.

“What?”

“You didn’t answer me, Grace. Does your dad know?”

“No. He’d be rubbing his hands together anticipating my moving back here.” She looked down at her hands. “I hate knowing that I’ve failed.”

“How have you failed?”

She lifted her gaze to meet his. “All I talked about for the last few years was leaving town and working in the city. I was pretty crappy about it, but Pop just kept nodding, telling me I had to follow my dream. And now…” Her voice trailed off.

“Now?” he prompted.

“I loved the challenge of recreating the computer files and databases—”

“You could do that as a side job or maybe as a way to help friends struggling with their own databases, while you work at whichever job you decide is the one for you.”

His suggestion was one she’d never considered before.

“Give yourself a break, and remember, just because you’ve discovered your dream job isn’t what you thought you always wanted, it doesn’t equate to failure. Didn’t you say they promoted you?”

She sighed. “Well, yes, but—”

“No buts, Mulcahy. They don’t promote people who aren’t doing their jobs.”

She smiled. “I wasn’t thinking of it that way.”

“That’s because you were thinking of it the wrong way,” he teased.

She didn’t mind though; he’d given her something positive to think about and a reason to contemplate moving back, working for the family, and contributing to the town in her own way—one that didn’t involve power tools or plumbing supplies.

“Thanks for listening, Patrick.”

The silence grew between them, having her wonder what had been behind his move to the Midwest from the city he loved. He’d been so willing to talk about her dream job, she finally just asked, “So, is your move here permanent, or will you be moving back to New York City?”

He stared at her. Her question must have caught him off guard. Darn, she’d been hoping he’d open up about his life and his plans. Now that she thought about it, he knew far more about her than she knew about him.

“You never really mentioned why you left New York.”

Before he could answer, Grace’s cell phone buzzed. She read the text and chuckled before telling him, “It’s Kate. She said she promises to be nice to Deputy Jones when he drives her home.”

He stood and held out his hand, enveloping her much smaller one in the warmth of his. “I’d better drive you home now—or I’ll be tempted to take you with me—and I can’t tonight.”

Patrick’s manners and innate kindness added another layer to the growing bond between them, but his withdrawal and refusal to answer her question worried her. Was there something he was hiding? Was there a part of him she couldn’t reach or wouldn’t understand? She really needed to sleep, and if he didn’t answer her, she’d be up all night wondering why and what it meant.

She’d miss not seeing him and would definitely be lonely in bed without him but wouldn’t be telling him that now. She had bigger fish to fry. They walked down the sidewalk and along the street side of the building instead of the alleyway.

He was silent but still held her hand. She tugged on his hand, forcing him to stop and look down at her. “What?”

“You didn’t answer my question.” She wasn’t going to back down and she wasn’t giving up on him.

He reached out and touched the tip of his finger to her cheek, tracing the curve of it. “Grace. There are some things I can’t talk about.”

“Now or ever?” He shrugged again, irritating her. “My dad does that and it drives me nuts.”

“What?”

“Shrugs instead of verbalizing his answer.”

“A shrug is an answer.”

She threw her hands up in the air and groaned. “Now you sound like my brother-in-law.”

“Which one?”

She thought about leaving him there on the sidewalk. Instead, she huffed out a breath and walked to his truck, wrenching open the passenger door. Grace wanted to be mad at him, but more than that, wanted him to talk to her. But she couldn’t make him talk to her. “I’m tired,” she explained, “and I want to soak in a hot tub.”

He cupped her elbow in his callused hand and started to stroke it slowly, gently, as if he were holding something fragile—precious. She looked up at him and was struck by the turmoil in his amber eyes. There was so much emotion there, it was hard to sort out. He helped her into the truck and walked around to the driver’s side and got in.

The silence while he drove back to her house wasn’t as comfortable as it had been. Finally, as he pulled into her driveway and parked, he said, “There are reasons I can’t talk about New York. Can we please let it go at that?”

She started to shake her head and walk away, but he pulled her into his embrace and rested his chin on top of her head. “I need you in my life, Grace. Don’t give up on me.”

She relaxed in his arms, hugging him back. “I’m not.”

He sighed. “Thanks.”

“It’s obvious you love your job—and your family. You miss them.”

“Yeah.”

“Sooner or later, whatever your reasons are will catch up to you. When they do, I’ll be there, waiting to listen.”

His arms tightened around her. “I’m not letting you go, Grace.”

She guessed that was his way of saying OK.

She rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Only until your shift is over.”